The check ride had to be scheduled more than a month in advance because of the designated pilot examiner’s availability. The IACRA information was filed, the three hours of test prep were flown. The airplane was scheduled. The ride had been rescheduled once because of weather.
Finally the big day came—the candidate handed over the envelope with the $500 cash. While going through the candidate’s logbook, the DPE determined he did not have the required experience for the check ride because he had not completed the requirements for the long cross-country flight for the private pilot certificate. FAR 61.109 stipulates the flight must be at least 150 nm total distance, with full-stop landings at three points, and one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of more than 50 nm between the takeoff and landing locations. The applicant’s CFI failed to communicate the part about the full-stop landings at three points—and the applicant didn’t have the foresight to look it up.
